Please briefly describe your clinical/medical experience to date?
I am a Registered Paediatric Nurse with over 20 years of experience working within the NHS across acute, community and specialist children’s services. My career began on a Children’s Ward, where I gained extensive experience in the assessment, treatment and care of children with a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions. I have then worked within the Health Visiting Team as a Community Health Nurse, supporting children and families through health promotion, developmental monitoring, safeguarding and early intervention.
For the past 12 years, I have worked within the Children’s Care Coordination Team supporting children with severe, complex and often lifelong health needs. My role involves coordinating multidisciplinary care, advocating for children and families, liaising with health, education and social care professionals, and ensuring that children receive timely, person-centred support. Throughout my career, I have developed strong skills in clinical assessment, care planning, communication, family support and multi-agency working, underpinned by a commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality paediatric care.
What motivated you to enter paediatric care in the first place?
My motivation to enter paediatric care began when I initially trained and qualified as a Nursery Nurse. I have always been passionate about supporting children and helping them achieve the best possible outcomes. After qualifying, I secured a position as a Nursery Nurse on a Children’s Ward, where I worked closely alongside paediatric nurses caring for children and their families during what were often challenging emotional times.
It was during this role that I developed a deep admiration for the skill, compassion, and dedication demonstrated by the nursing staff. Seeing the positive impact they had on children and families, not only through their clinical expertise but also through their emotional support and reassurance they provided, inspired me to pursue a career in paediatric nursing. I realised that I wanted to play a more direct role in supporting children through illness, promoting their wellbeing, and advocating for their needs.
This experience sparked my passion for paediatric nursing and motivated me to undertake my nurse training. More than 20 years later that passion remains strong and continues to drive my commitment to provide high-quality compassionate care supporting children and families.
How will the funding from The Evie Dove Foundation help you to advance your career and your impact/services to children?
The funding will support my continued professional development and enhance my existing assessment, observation and clinical documentation skills. The knowledge and competencies gained through this training would complement and strengthen my current practice.
My current role involves assessing children’s needs, gathering information from multiple sources, liaising with families and professionals and producing a detailed report and plan. The structured assessment, observation, interviewing and report writing skills developed through ADOS and ADI-R training would further enhance my ability to carry out comprehensive assessments, identify needs and communicate findings effectively. These skills are highly transferable and would support the high standard of care I provide.
In addition to benefitting my current role, this training would enable me to undertake autism assessments independently outside of my substantive post, supporting wider diagnostic services and helping to address the growing demand for autism assessments. This would contribute to improved access to assessment services for children and families while allowing me to further develop my specialist knowledge within paediatric neurodevelopmental care.
How did you find out about The Evie Dove Foundation?
I first became aware of the Evie Dove Foundation through a personal connection, as my daughter attended preschool with Evie. Following Evie’s tragic passing, the foundation in her name was discussed among preschool staff and families within the local community. Through these conversations, I learned about the foundation’s aims and the support it provides.
As a paediatric nurse, I have continued to follow the foundations progress and development. I have seen the positive impact the foundation has had in supporting paediatric professionals and , in turn the children and families they care for.
Tell us about yourself!
I live in the countryside with my husband, our three daughters and our dog and cat! Having grown up on a farm where my father was a local farmer, I have always appreciated the rural life and the strong sense of community it brings. Outside my work, I enjoy spending time with my family and being outdoors. My family life helps me maintain a healthy work-life balance and reinforces the values of compassion, resilience and commitment that I bring to both my personal and professional life.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your experience, future aspirations and motivations?
As well as my professional experience, I also have personal experience as the parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As a family, we experienced first hand the challenges of navigating the diagnostic process and accessing the appropriate support. The journey to obtaining a diagnosis and ensuring the right provisions were in place was often lengthy and challenging, giving me a deep understanding of the emotional, practical and educational impact this can have on both children and their families.
This experience has strengthened my passion for supporting children with neurodevelopmental needs and their families. It has given me valuable insight into the importance of timely assessments, clear communication and access to appropriate services. One of my key motivations for undertaking ADOS and ADI-R training is to contribute to improving the assessment process and help families access the support their child needs and deserves as early as possible. By developing these specialist skills, I hope to make a meaningful difference to the experiences of children and families navigating the autism pathway, ensuring they feel supported, understood and empowered throughout the process.
